Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-02-25

worked manfully until driven from the
wreck by the flames The rescued hur.
ried or we're helped 10 the house of one Os
ear Paine about - rods away
The attempt 10 stop the flames within the
cars awaited nothing, as the same could not
be gotten at in season Accordingly, all
the efforts Of the men and the passengers
who were not disabled were directed h. the
releasing Of those confined The cars were
all heated by coal stoves aud lighted by
lamps with mineral sperm oil which was
300 degrees fire test. The brakes were the
Westinghouse automatic air brakes.
The InVcstigntion.
Notice Of the accident was wired from
the st. Adams office Of the railroad conpa
ny Saturday morning to each of the com
missioners. One of the commissioners and
the clerk of the board arrived upon the
scene at an early hour and while the fires
were still burning, another member of the
board arrived soon after noon and all were
present before night Examination of the
premise, at the wreck aud at the point of
derailment was begun soon after daylight
and continued through Saturday. Formal
investigation 10y the board was begun ON
the following Monday at White River June
ton, all formal or longer notice of the same
being waived hy the president of the rail
road company. From Monday afternoon
until Thursday noon of that week, and on
Monday and Tuesday of the week follow
ing, the board was in session here or else
where in town taking testimony. generally
day and evening, with the aid Of stenng
rapher Furty-one witnesses have been ex
nnined, including some who went down in
each car. all the train men who survived.
section men, car inspectors, and railroad Of
iiclals and employees from within and with
out the state, and others. On the inside of
the curve. being the right hand rail going
north, the eighteenth rail from the south
end of the bridge was found tu he broken
at point 10 feet and /, inches from the
end fnrthest from the bridge, aud the part
broken of was itself broken into several
fragments, and at the several points Of
fracture showed defect running length.
wise of the rail ON the inside thereof he
ginning near the end and about one fourth
of an inch from the surface of the ball and
running back and gradually extending
deeper into the body Of the rail. This de.
feet existed in the bloom from which thi,
rail was rolled, and nowhere appeared upon
the surface of the rail This rail was "a 30
foot rail, rolled at st. Adams from Besse
ner steel bloom from Germany and weigh.
ed 10 pounds to the yard. The seventeenth
rail from the south end of the bridge ON tn,
same side of the track was also broken and
crowded out to the right, the outer spike,
being bent down or the heads torn Off and
some Of the inner spikes we're driven int,
the Heepers or ties The other rails on that
side of the track, and between the broken
rails and the bridge, were crowded out Of
place to the right and several of them bent
outward, while all the fish plates were Ell
Their broken or badly bent.
There were flange marks ON the ties an,
frozen earth, and also indications of heavy
blows upon some of the ties and earth for
several rods before the bridge was reached
continuing to the abutment also of ahra
1iono or scrapings of the inner side of tn,
left hand rail at different points, 50 Il, t,
leave impressions and indentations as il
made by some substance As hard as itsel
trying to climb those rails. The middl,
journal of the forward truck of the ,lrepel
Pilgrim was broken about midway bctw eel
the wheels at Noiue time in the accident
Ohe wheel and portion of the broker
| journal was found ON the ice above tn,
bridge tom the left hand side as the traiI
was gungl, out of reach of the fire ol
smoke the other wheel. with its part o
the Journal, was nearly two rods from it
On the other side Of the bridge with tn,
wreck, both between the first abutmen
and the first pier of the bridge The Jour
nal WAS indcnted diagomuly across the frac
ture, n portion Of the indcntation being 81
one slde of it and a portion upon the nthei
side. The indentation and the fractur,
both appeared to he fresh. The journal wa
/ also slightly bent at the break and no de
+ lect could he discovered in it. Robel.
| Fletcher, Professor of civil engineering il
I the Thayer school Dartmouth college. VIII,
examined this journal ON the day of the az
/ cident, testified that 1t had fractur,
such as he had generally seen in fracture
Of the kind, partly granular and crystal!in,
surface, and that he did not detect any de
/ feet in it, Such was substantially the ties
timony Of the practical railroad men an,
mechanics who testified on thi, point. Th
| journal, of wrought iron, one of the stan
dard journals of the Pullman ear company
! was made in Chicago.
/ The bridge was double lattice bridge
{ 900 feet long, built in place of one burne,
IN 1893 covered with sheet iron roofing
The sleeperS and track lay above the deck
! with safety guards consisting of timber
/ eight inches square. nineteen inches out
side, and rising inches higher than til,
top of the rails The approach to the hridg,
was through cut till near the bridge thel
/ comes AN embankment which become, higl
for short distance as it approaches tn,
abutment. When the rear ear came upnl
the bridge 1t was to the right and outsid,
of these safety guards